Don't know your local paper?

World War One medals stolen in North Beach burglary

A WORLD War I medal with “huge sentimental value” has been stolen from a North Beach home.

Owner Gary Powell said the medal belonged to his great-uncle and was passed down through his family.

“It just stung very deeply; there is a real family value attached to it so why they took it, and what possible value it had to them, I don’t know,” Mr Powell said.

“I think they’ve seen it in the presentation box and when they realise what it is they’ll probably throw it away. I fear it’s going to be thrown in a bin, picked up by the local council and mulched.”

A police spokesman said the medals were stolen from the Waxham Place house along with cash, a digital camera and jewellery.

“The items were stolen between the hours of 8am and 3pm on May 16,” he said.

“The medals have sentimental value as they belonged to the victim’s great-uncle.”

Mr Powell said he had searched the streets and laneways of North Beach for the medal.

“I looked in all the bins and the only thing I can attest to is that every dog in North Beach has done its business in those bins because the smell was terrible; people were looking at me rather strangely,” he said.

Mr Powell said his granddaughter wore the medal for the first time at this year’s Anzac Day parade.

“I’ve gone from being emotional and upset about it to bloody angry,” he said.